I-Antarctica lilizwekazi elibandayo kangangokuba bambalwa kakhulu abantu abalindwendweleyo, kwaye bambalwa kakhulu ababeke unyawo kwelinye lamaqhwa alo: Thwaites. emi kwinxalenye esentshona yelizwekazi. Omnye wabambalwa onethamsanqa nguKnut Christianson, ugqirha we-glaciologist kwiYunivesithi yaseWashington (eUnited States), ozinikele ekuyifundeni ukuze aqikelele imiphumo yokunyibilika kwayo kwihlabathi liphela.
Into ayifumeneyo ukuza kuthi ga ngoku ibonakala ifana nebali le-apocalyptic kunelokwenyani, kodwa inyani kukuba inika into eninzi yokucinga ngayo. Kwaye, »ukuba kuyakubakho intlekele yemozulu, iya kuqala eTwaites"Njengoko kwaxelwa kwangaphambili ngu-Ian Howat, ugqirha we-glaciologist wase-Ohio. Kodwa kutheni?
Umkhenkce waseAntarctica uyanyibilika ngokungathi yindlu yamakhadi, Oko kukuthi, Uhlala uzinzile de utyhale. Nangona iyinkqubo engazukwenzeka ngephanyazo, kwisithuba semashumi eminyaka ukulahleka komkhenkce wamaThwaites kuya kuzinzisa wonke umkhenkce osentshona yelizwekazi. Nje ukuba ndenze, iya kubabeka emngciphekweni bonke abo bahlala ngaphakathi kweekhilomitha ezingama-80 zonxwemeOko kukuthi, isiqingatha sabemi behlabathi.
Amanqanaba olwandle anokunyuka malunga nezahlulo ezithathu kwiindawo ezininzi zehlabathi, kwaye ukuya kuthi ga kwezinye kwamanye anjengeNew York okanye iBoston.
Kude kube nini oku kusenzeka? Ewe, ilizwekazi belihlala lilele, kodwa "ngoku liyahamba," utshilo uMark Serreze, umlawuli we-US National Snow and Ice Data Centre. Ngo-2002 i-Larsen B yeshelfri yanyibilika. Ukunyamalala kwayo kuncede amaqhekeza omkhenkce ngasemva kwayo ukuba angene elwandle ngokukhawuleza okuphindwe kasibhozo kunangaphambili. Kungenzeka ukuba ifayile ye- Iqonga likaLarsen C. bafumana ubunzima obufanayo, kuba ibonakalisa ukuqhekeka kweekhilomitha ezili-160.
Ngokokulinganisa kuka-Eric Rignot we-NASA kunye no-Ian Joughin weYunivesithi yaseWashington, le nkqubo inye yokuphazanyiswa kwezinto sele iqhubeka kwiTwaites glacier.
Ukwazi ngakumbi, unokucofa apha.